PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Alison Wilkey, Director of Government Affairs and Strategic Campaigns at Coalition For the Homeless
5:22:28
ยท
150 sec
Alison Wilkey's testimony focused on the challenges faced by new arrivals in New York City, particularly those living in shelters. She expressed concerns about the city's handling of shelter facilities and emphasized the need for improved services and support for immigrants.
- Highlighted the ongoing influx of new arrivals (400-500 daily) and the current 50,000 people in new arrival shelters
- Raised concerns about large facilities for single adults, such as a 2,200-bed facility in the Bronx, being potential targets for deportation
- Emphasized the need for better case management and legal services in shelters, with current ratios as low as one case manager per 200 people
- Called for increased investment in quality case management and legal services to help people move out of shelters and achieve stability
Alison Wilkey
5:22:28
My name's Allison Wilkie.
5:22:29
I'm the Director of Government Affairs and Strategic Campaigns at the Coalition For the Homeless.
5:22:32
Thank you for holding this, hearing, chair Aviles.
5:22:36
I'm gonna focus my testimony on our newest New Yorkers, and particularly those who are still living in shelters.
5:22:42
You know, over the past few weeks, the city has made a lot of announcements about closing of new arrival shelters, but the fact remains there are still 50,000 people living in new arrival shelters.
5:22:54
And we are still seeing, over recent months, an average of 4 to 500 people newly arriving in the city, seeking sanctuary and shelter and a new life in New York City.
5:23:05
And we are happy that the city has moved quickly to close sites that are only housing new arrivals, and particularly the larger facilities and facilities, for families with children, like Floyd Bennett Field.
5:23:18
But we remain very concerned about single adults in these facilities.
5:23:23
The city just announced they are opening a facility in the Bronx that will have 2,200 beds that will be for single adults, and we're really concerned that that will be a target for deportation efforts of the new administration.
5:23:37
It's really imperative that the city continue its efforts so that there are no shelters that are solely new arrivals.
5:23:45
And and also, the city needs to do more about making sure that all shelters know their obligations under our sanctuary laws, including shelters for DYCD, all the emergency shelters, and the domestic violence shelters.
5:24:00
In addition to that, the city needs to do more to make sure that people can move on to permanent housing and move out of shelter.
5:24:09
The lack of case management and lack of legal services that many people have talked about are dire.
5:24:16
In shelters that we have been in, there are one case manager for every 200 people, if there is a case manager at all.
5:24:25
And those case managers are typically exit planners who do little beyond asking people about their plans.
5:24:31
The city needs to invest far more in real case management, quality case management, to help people be able to move on and in the legal services that people, need.
5:24:42
I was glad to hear Awasoo say that they are doing CJIS applications.
5:24:45
That is new.
5:24:46
That is not something that they have been have done in the past, but far more is needed to make sure that people can achieve the stability to, to move on.
5:24:54
And there are more recommendations in my full testimony, which you have.